Garden name change sparks Palm Beach County political fight

Orchid celebrations and other festivals are among the events held at Mounts Botanical Garden, which the County Commission on Tuesday renamed "The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County."

Orchid celebrations and other festivals are among the events held at Mounts Botanical Garden, which the County Commission on Tuesday renamed "The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County." (Scott Fisher / Sun Sentinel)

Andy ReidSun Sentinel

A botanical garden by any other name would smell as sweet, Shakespeare might say.

But a proposed change to the name of Mounts Botanical Garden near West Palm Beach spawned the kind of acrimony that local horticulturists normally reserve for weeds and drought.

On one side, boosters of the Mounts Botanical Garden were pushing to add “Palm Beach” to the garden’s name. The idea was to make it easier to find for potential visitors searching the web and to add cache to the name in the hopes that it could help fundraising.

On the other side were other advocates for the botanical garden as well as the Mounts family who opposed the notion of removing the “Mounts” name or supplanting its spot at the beginning of the title.

Opponents to the name change said it threatened to disrespect the memory of Marvin “Red” Mounts, the county’s long-time former agricultural extension agent credited with helping foster local farming.

Plus, they questioned why adding “Palm Beach” to the title made sense for a garden attraction located on Military Trail, far from the upscale island.

In the end, the County Commission passed a compromise measure suggested by Commissioner Mary Lou Berger that kept “Mounts” and added “Palm Beach County” to the name. That makes the new name: “The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County.”

Commissioners Hal Valeche and Priscilla Taylor voted against the name change.

The push for a name change came from the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden, a group that raises money for the facility and helps oversee operations.

“We never wanted to offend,” said group president Polly Reed.

After backlash to an initial proposal to make “Palm Beach” the focal point of a new name, the group on Tuesday suggested changing the name to: “Mounts: The Palm Beach Botanical Garden.”

But other Mounts supporters said a name change was unnecessary and even potentially disrespectful to the garden’s namesake.

“He was recognized for 40 years of public service to this county,” Greg Mounts said about his grandfather, Red Mounts. “I don’t know why anyone would want to change it.”

The county-owned garden attraction is located on 14 acres along Military Trail across from Palm Beach International Airport. It features tropical and subtropical plants from around the world, including Florida native plants as well as fruit trees, herbs and citrus.

Evens held at the garden include tours, workshops, lectures and festivals.

Former county commissioner Jeff Koons, who was ousted from office by scandal in 2010, was one of the Mounts volunteers and supporters who called for the County Commission to change the name.

Koons, who occasionally still makes appearances at county functions, said people “need to know that history” but that Mounts supporters should also be pushing for a $50 million plan to upgrade the garden.